Samskip has secured a subsidy from the Dutch government which is working towards the ‘Modal Shift Program’. This program will support the initiative of switching cargo transport from road to inland water shipping and road to rail transport

The subsidy will support Samskip’s barge connections to Nijmegen and Roermond. This initiative strongly supports the company’s strategy to offer sustainable solutions to all its customers as it continues to reduce its overall carbon footprint across its vast network.

Samskip is committed to this program along with currently running initiatives, however, the company continues to search for more opportunities to shift cargo from road to water transport. Besides CO2 reduction, barge solutions can also assist in providing more flexibility in the first and last-mile (collection/delivery) processes. This is due to the shorter distance from the barge terminal to the collection/delivery points.

The Dutch government has permission from the European Commission to invest €22.5 million in a modal shift in freight transport. The subsidy scheme focuses on shippers and forwarders. To encourage them to choose inland shipping or rail, a subsidy of €20 per structurally moved container (or an equivalent for bulk) is being offered. The subsidy is intended as compensation for the extra transport costs of inland shipping or rail (such as extra container transhipment).